Means for excluding dirt and liquid from bearings and driving mechanism of centrifugal machines



B. R. WRIGHT.

MEANS FOR EXCLUDING DIRT AND LIQUID FROM BEARINGS AND DRIVING MECHANISM OF CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7. I920.

1,386, 148, Patented Aug. 2, 1921. I J '2 5 Z k I f A 6 ft: d

//VI/E/V7'0R WITNESS: @M/m. 7' 6 1 1? Mug/Q1! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BERT R. WRIGHT, OF PO'UGHKEEPSIE, YORK, ASSIGNORTO THE DE LAVAL SEPARATOR COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MEANS FOR EXCLUDING DTRT AND LIQUID FROM BEARINGS AND DRIVING MECHA- NISM OF CENTRIFUGAIJ MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

Application filed February 7, 1920'. Serial in. 357,104.

Y citizen of the United States, residin at- Pou hkeepsie, county of Dutchess, and tate of l ew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Means for Excluding Dirt and Liquid from Bearings and Driving Mechanism of Centrifugal. Ma-

clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyin drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to centrifugalizing machines having vertical spindles. The obt ject of my invention is to preveiit the entrance ofndust, Water, milk or other foreign substances to the top bearingjor the interior of the casing containing the driving mechanism and at the same time prevent the waste of oil; and to accomplish these results with-' out the addition of parts that'would create additional friction. I

It is well known that when the centrifugalizing bowl is removed from a centrifugal cream separator or any other machine of like construction, dust isapt to settle on the top bearing around the spindle and there is great danger that-it will eventually work into the bearing and cause rapid wear. There is also. great dan erthat, when the bowl casing is being was ed, water will fall onto the bearing orthe -.s indle and pass downward between. the bearing and the spindle into the'frame, where it w1ll mingle with the oil and cause rapid deterioration of the Y I the machine toward the bearing will be caught-by'the umbrella g or the: cap and so. kept from the bearing. "Large quantities :of

machine. Many attempts have been made to revent this entrance of dirt and water. evices which are fairly efiicient for the'preventionf 40 of entrance of dust are known, but these devices cannot be relied on tokeep out water which falls onto and follows down the bowl spindle.--

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Figure 1 shows a cross section of apart of a machine equipped with my invention. Fig. 2 shows to a larger scale the details of my invention.

The frame f is shaped and bored, as usual, to provide "for the reception .of the cylindrical topbearing a and the extension therethrough of the spindle b supporting the bowl a The bearing is so shaped as to hold between it and the bore or hub of the frame a bearing or cushion spring 03. A tubular shell 6, of a diameter adapted to fit tightly within and against the bore or hub in the frame, is directly engaged by the spring at.

bore, a top screw 9 projects above a collar h on the spindle b and prevents the spindle being drawn out of the frame.

The shell 6 is turned outward. so .as to overlie the hub of the frame and. thence upward at 'z' to-a height considerably above the top of the bearing. i is A dust cap j rests on top of the upturned edge 2' of the shell e and has a petticoat 7c Through the frame f, below said hub or chines, of which the following is a.full,-

depending outside of the shell and another petticoat Z depending inside the upturned edge 'of the shell 8 to a level below that of the top of the bearing 0. Around the central hole this dust cap is turned upward and outward, forming a neck m and an outwardly extending top flange n.

Fitting closely around the spindle b is a sleeve 0 having an outwardly turned flange 1p at'the bottom and the wide umbrella-like flange-q at the top. The length of the mem; ber 0 is such that, when the flange prests on top of the bearing,'the umbrella Qclears the top of the-flange n. The inside diameter of the neck on is of such size that the maxi mum oscillation of the's indle will not cause the member 0 to strike t eneck.

It is obvious that any, dust fallinginto water fallingfon the umbrella q or dust cap "y'- will flow off and down. into the depressed space in the frame f around the bearingsupporting the hub. I have, however, found the space-between the umbrella and the.

dust cap was filled and water would pass over the neck m and thence down onto the bearing. The space between the top of the Z and fall to the bottom of the bearing case. When in operation the member 0 soontakes such a position on the spindle that it will barely clear the top of the bearing and so runs without friction.

From the above description it will be seen that without adding to the friction of the machine my device will effectually exclude dirt and liquids from the top bearing and the interior of the frame and prevent the escape of oil. I

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

v 1'. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with an upright spindle and its bearing, of a frame surrounding the bearing; a

shell comprising a lower cylindrical portion confined between the frame and the bearing and an upper portion bent outward from the upper end of the cylindrical portion and thence upward;- and a separate dust cap comprising a part resting upon the upturned depending outside the shell:

edge of the shell and a petti'coat depending from such part and extending outside and spaced from the upturned. end-of the shell.

2, In a centrifu a1 machine, the combination with a spin le and its bearing, of a frame surrounding the bearin a shell between the frame and the 'bearlng bent outwardand upward; and a dust cap comprisinga part overlying the shell, a Petticoat depending within the shell and a petticoat 3. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a spindle and its bearing, of a sleeve fitted on the spindle, an annular hood on the sleeve to deflect dirt and water, and

a dust cap surrounding the sleeve and spindle and having a central aperture under and protected by said hood and adapted to receive on its outside surface dirt and water deflected by said hood and guide the same away from said bearing.

4;. In a centrifu 'al machine, the combination with a spin e and its bearing and a supporting frame surrounding the bearing,

of a member surrounding and fitting the spindle above the bearing, means on said member adapted to catch dustand receive and outwardly deflect water, a shell between the bearing and the sup-porting frame and vent access of fluid. and solid foreign matter to the bearing comprising a member surrounding and fitting the spindle, means outside said member and above said casing adapted to catch dust and receive and outwardly deflect water, and a petticoat depending from said means and surrounding the upper part of said casing and adapted to carry water so deflected outside the bear- 1n In a centrifugal machine, the combi: nationwith a spindle and its bearing anda frame surrounding the bearingfi, of a member surrounding and fitting the spindle above the bearing, means outside said member adapted-to catch dust and receive and outwardly deflect water, a petticoat adapted to carry water so deflected away from said bearing, and an oil catcher and deflector arranged outside said spindle fitting member, beneath said dust catching and water deflecting means and inside said petticoat;

7. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a spindle and its bearing and a' casing surrounding. the bearing and having an upturned edge, of a member surrounding and fittingthe spindle, means outside said member and above the casing adapted to catch dust and receive and outwardly deflect water, a petticoat depending from said means'and surrounding the upper part of saidshell and adapted to carry water so deflected outside the bearing, and a member inside the upturned edge of the casing adapted to catch and deflect oil.

8. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a spindle and its bearing and a frame surrounding the bearing, of a member surrounding and fitting the spindle, a flange at the. bottom of said member above the bearing, means outside said member adapted to catch dirt and receive and outwardly de-' flect water, a ,pettico-at adapted to carry water so deflected away from said bearing,

and'a member arranged beneath said dust catching member and water deflecting means and inside said petticoat and adapted to catch oil thrown outward beneath said flange.

9. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a spindle and its bearing, of a frame surrounding the bearing, a shell between the bearing and the frame and bent outwardand upward, a centrally apertured dust cap overlying andsurrounding the top of the shell and havin a central neck spaced from the spindle an flanged outward at ,from the central neck; and a spindle fitting member above the bearing having at the bottom an annular flange and at the top an umbrella-like flange extending outwardly beyond the flanged neck of the dust cap.

11. Adust guard comprising a sheet metal ferrule arranged to 'frictionally engage the spindle of a centrifugal machine, an annular flange on one end of the ferrule adapted to form a dust and water shed, and a sheet metal shell having a cylindrical opening of smaller diameter than the flange on the ferv rule, said shell having an annular flange arranged to frictionally engage the wall of the bearing opening in the frame of the machine. 7

12. A dust guard for a centrifugal machine comprising a sheet metal flanged ferrule arranged to frictionally engage the" spindle of a centrifugal machine, and a sheet metal shell for incasing the bearing and having an annular flange for frictionally engaging the bearing support in the frame of the machine, and a' sheet metal member on said shell having an opening for the spindle and ferrule.

13. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a spindle; a surrounding bearing support, an intermediate bearing having a part overlying the bearing support, and a spring element between the bearing" and the surrounding bearing support, of a sleeve surrounding the spindle having at its lower end a flange overlying the bearing and at its upper end a flange operating to catch dust and deflect water, and a petticoat adapted to carry water so deflected away from the bearing. 7

'14. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a spindle, a surnoundingbearing support, an intermediate bearing having a part overlying the bearing support, and a spring element between the bearing and the surrounding bearing support, of a sleeve surrounding thespindle having'at its lower end a flange overlying the bearing and at itsiupper end a flange operating to catch dust and deflect water, and an oil catcher and deflector arranged'outside and spaced from said sleeve.

15. In a centrifugal machine, the combination with a spindle, a surrounding bearing support, an intermediate bearing a part overlying the bearing support, and a spring element between the bearing and the surrounding bearing support, of a sleeve surrounding the spindle having at its lower end a flange overlying the bearing and at its upper end a flange operating to catch dust and deflect water, and a second dust guard and. water deflector extending under andhereunto set my hand at Poughkeepsie on this 30 day of J anua 1920.

I BE T R. WRIGHT. 

